8 Alternative Uses for Breastmilk

When I heard a few years back about a New York restaurateur making breastmilk cheese, I was among the chorus of "ewwww!"s.

Cut to the present day with a 6-month-old, much more education on the virtues of human milk, and a freezerful of expressed milk. I can't help but find myself searching for ways to use the stockpiled "liquid gold":

If the milk is stored properly and is not too old (a good rule of thumb is 6 hours at room temperature, 6 days in the fridge, and 6 months in the freezer, and 12 months in a deep freezer), milk banks for mothers who cannot provide their babies with their own milk are a very worthy first option. If looking for alternative ways to feed extra milk to a growing baby, toddler, or even adults, check out these ideas:

Make butter! Just put a few ounces of milk in a clean jar and shake vigorously until you have butter.

Ice cream can be made by simply substituting human milk for cow's milk. A great option for moms on a dairy-free diet who are craving ice cream.

Freeze it into popsicles or ice cubes for summertime or teething babies.

Make cheese like the chef who first set off the media firestorm years ago.

Use it as a creamer for coffees and other drinks.

Substitute for cow's milk with human milk in baking or cooking recipes.

Donate it to chemo patients, whose digestion can be aided by breastmilk.

There is a seemingly-endless list of non-food uses for human milk with its antifungal properties, from removing makeup to relieving scrapes and burns.